New Caledonia will host the region’s largest Nature Conservation Conference for the Pacific from 7–11 September this year.
Held every five years, the 11th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas will unite hundreds of stakeholders to help shape priorities and actions for conservation across the region.
This year’s conference will highlight Pacific leadership in addressing the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. It is essential for maintaining dialogue and collaboration, the pillars of Oceanian solidarity required for turning ambitions on nature conservation into concrete action.
Organised by New Caledonia, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation, the conference will result in a chart that will course our collective Pacific journey for nature conservation and protected areas. It will be supported by a shared political vision for biodiversity conservation in the Pacific.
“The 11th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation is much more than just a regional gathering: it is a call to all Pacific nations to come together, share ideas, and take action for our blue continent and our planet.
Historic milestones such as the BBNJ Agreement on the high seas and the global 30x30 target provide us with an ambitious framework.
It is up to us, the peoples of the Pacific, to champion it with a strong and united voice,” stated Hon. Katidjo-Monnier, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change of New Caledonia.
The Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) aims to conserve and sustain use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Bringing together governments, civil society, Indigenous and local communities, development partners, and technical experts over the course of five days, the Pacific Nature Conservation Conference will promote practical, action-oriented solutions to support local and national actions and highlight success stories and strengthen partnerships for increased investment in conservation.
The 11th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas will also be the opportunity to showcase innovative approaches, traditional knowledge and best practices in conservation as well as contribute to global biodiversity goals like the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Taking an intergenerational approach, the Conference is committed to enabling meaningful and effective youth engagement and civil society participation. It will strengthen a unified Pacific voice on biodiversity conservation.
“Our natural environment is our Pacific foundation. It has sustained our culture, our livelihoods and our identity. The Pacific’s largest Nature Conservation Conference held in New Caledonia is critical on our journey for a Blue Pacific,” said Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of SPREP.
“The partnerships, networks, solutions and framework that will be born from this conference are just one environmental outcome of many that will guide a united approach from our region as we implement our 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy.”
After the 10th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas was held virtually due to COVID-19, the 11th Nature Conference will be the first major in-person gathering of Pacific stakeholders since 2013.
The 11th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas is organised by New Caledonia, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, and the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation.
Photo: Parc Naturel de la Mer de Corail - Atolls Entrecasteaux. Nicolas Job.